Magwood to the NEA

US regulator William Magwood is to take over as head of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) later this year following the retirement of current chief Luis Echavarri.

Magwood talking to NRC staff last year (Image: NRC)

Magwood comes from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to which he was appointed in 2010 after previous roles including director of nuclear energy at the Department of Energy. He is recognised as a strong advocate of international technology cooperation, having served as chairman of both the Generation-IV International Forum and the OECD's steering committee on Nuclear Energy.

Echavarri retires at the end of April after 17 years as director general of the agency. He told World Nuclear News he will return to Madrid, and may continue to be active in the nuclear field after his OECD duties are discharged. However, Magwood is not due to start at Paris-based NEA until September, leaving the organisation with a five-month gap in leadership. An interim head for this period is to be announced by OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría.

Jeri Guthrie-Corn of the US mission to the OECD said Magwood's appointment "will be a boon for nuclear safety and cooperation internationally, building on Luis Echavarri's dynamic tenure."